Multiple-effect evaporating apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GAUNT, OF BROOKLYN, NE? YORK.

M U LTlPLE-EFFECT EVAPORATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,183, dated June1'7, 1890.

Application filed March 7,1890. Serial No. 342,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS GAUNT, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State ofNew York, have invented an Improvement in Multiple-Eifect EvaporatingApparatus, of Which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters 011 the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to multiple-efliect evaporating apparatus of thatclass in which the liquor or substance being treated is evaporated whilein transit over an evaporatingsurface.

In accordance with my invention a series of evaporators are arranged ingraduation that is, on diiferent levels and connected together to form aliquid seal between the separate evaporatorsand the uppermost evaporatorhas its liquor-supply joined to an auxiliary chamber provided with aregulator, by which the amount of liquor supplied to the evaporator maybe automatically controlled, and the lowermost evaporator of the seriescommunicates with an independent chamber, itself connected by areturn-pipe to the said auxiliary chamber. The retu rn-pipe referred tohas a branch pipe provided with a valve by which the amount of liquiddischarged through the branch pipe may be regulated and the amount ofliquor returned to the auxiliary chamber, and thereby the degree towhich the liquor is concentrated may be controlled.

My invention in a multiple-effect transit evaporating apparatus,therefore, consists in the combination, with a series of evaporatorsarranged on different levels and connected together to form a :liquidseal between the said evaporators, of an auxiliary chamber connected tothe first evaporator of the series and to the liquid-supply, a regulatorto control the supply of liquid to the said auxiliary chamber, anindependent chamber connected to a lower evaporator of the series, apump connected to the said independent chamber and having itsoutlet-pipe connected to the said auxiliary chamber, and a branch pipeprovided with a cook or valve to regulate the degree of concentration,substantially as will be described.

Other features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out in theclaims at the end of this specification. v

Figure 1 in elevation represents a multiple-effect evaporatingapparatusconstruct-ed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 a detail to bereferred to. a

My improved apparatus, as herein represented, consists of a tripleeffect composed of three evaporators A A A arranged in gradation-thatis, on different levelss0 that the liquor in small volume or quantitymay flow continuously from one evaporator to the next lower evaporatorof the series, and the said evaporators are connected, as will bedescribed, to form a liquid seal between the evaporator-s, whereby thedifference of vacuum between the said evaporators is maintained.

Each evaporator is preferably composed of an evaporating-surfacecomposed of tubes or pipes arranged in vertical line and each providedwith a liquid feed or supply, substantially as shown and described inUnited States Patent No. 409,572, granted to me August 20, 1889. Theliquid-supply for each row of tubes has connected to it a branch pipeat, and,as herein represented, the evaporators A A are provided withthree rows of evaporating tubes and the evaporator A with four rows ofevaporating-tubes. The branch pipes at of the evaporator A are connectedto a liquid-supply pipe a provided, as herein shown, with a cock orvalve a the said liquid-supply pipe being connected to and forming theoutlet-pipe for an auxiliary vessel or chamber a", located substantiallyabove the level of the liquid-feeders of the evaporator A. The auxiliarychamber or vessel a is provided with a liquid-inlet, to which is joineda pipe a connected with a liquid-supply, herein shown as a tank a, thepipe at being provided,as shown,witha cook or valve o The liquid-inletto the vessel 0 is controlled by a suitable valve having its stem 64connected to a counterbalanced lever c0 pivotally supported upon theVessel a", and having connected to it a float chamber or vessel b,thesaid float being connected by pipes at a to the top and bottom,respectively, of the said chamber, substantially as shown and describedin another application, Serial No. 296,907, filed by me January 19,1889. The evaporatorA is provided with a liquor-outlet pipe Z), whichforms the liquorsupply pipe for the evaporator A, the said pipe havingconnected to it the branch pipes at for the said evaporator, and theevaporator A is provided with a liquor-outlet pipe b constituting theliquor-supply pipe for the evaporatorA the said pipe having connected toit branch pipes at. The evaporator A is provided With a liquor-outletpipe a2, which communicates with an independent chamber or vessel B,located below the evaporator A and preferably on a diiferent floor fromthe said evaporatoras, for instance, in the basement of the building inwhich the evaporating apparatus is placed. The independent chamber B isprovided with a liquor-outlet pipe a, communicating with and forming theinlet-pipe for a pump (U, which may be of any usual or well-knownconstruction. The pump a is provided with a liquor outlet or dischargepipe a which is preferably connected with the top of the auxiliarychamber (0, the said pipe constituting a return-pipe for the liquor fromthe pump to the said auxiliary chamber. The return-pipe a has connectedto it a branch pipe 11 provided with a cook or valve b the said branchpipe communicating, as herein shown, with a receptacle b The independentchamber 13 is provided, as herein shown, with sight-glasses c and aliquor-gage c, by means of which the liquor within the said chamber maybe seen.

In practice the different evaporators forming the multiple effect arepreferably arranged on different floors of a building, and in operationthe liquor from the supply-tank a first flows into the auxiliary chambera the Weighted lever overcoming the floatb and opening the inlet-valveof the said chamber to permit the liquor to flow therein, the valve a inthe pipe a being at such time closed. After the liquor has attained asufficient level in the auxiliary chamber a to fill the float b, so asto overcome the weighted lever and move the inlet-valve to shut off thesupply of liquor from the tank a, the operator opens the cook or valve aand permits the liquorin the auxiliary chamber a" to flow through thepipe a branch pipes a into the liquid feed or supply of the evaporatorA, from which it flows over the evaporating-surface in the saidevaporator. As soon as the liquid-level in the chamber a" has beenlowered sufficiently to permit the weighted lever to overcome the weightof the float the inlet-valve of the said chamber is opened by the saidlever and a fresh supply of liquor admitted to the chamber a to maintainthe supply of liquor to the evaporators. The liquor is concentrated onits passage through the evaparator A more or less, and the concentratedliquor from the said evaporator flows through the pipe 1). and branchpipes a, connected thereto, into evaporator A, where it is furtherconcentrated, and the said liquor then flows through the pipe 12* andbranch pipes a into evaporator A from which it flows, still furtherconcentrated, into the independent chamber B. By means of thesight-glasses in the independent chamber B the density or concentratedcondition of the liquor may be ascertained. After the liquor hasattained a certain level in the independent chamber B the operatorstarts the pump a and if it is desired to still further concentrate theliquor the valve 1) in the branch pipe is maintained closed and theliquor is returned back through the pipe a into the auxiliary chamber a,where it mixes with the weak liquor supplied from the tank a, so thatthe liquor, which is then caused to pass through the evaporators of theseries, is of a greater density than the liquor in the tank a. If theliquor in the independent chamber is of the desired or required density,the valve 1) in the branch pipe is opened and the pump a discharges theliquor through the pipe a and branch pipe b into the receptacle b If itis desired that the liquor discharged into the receptacle Z9 should beof arequired density,which cannot be accomplished by once passing theliquor through the series of evaporators, the cook or valve b may bepartially opened, so that only a portion of the liquor may be dischargedinto the receptacle b the remaining portion being forced back by thesaid pump into the auxiliary chamber a*, to be commingled with the weakliquor, so that the commingled liquor after passing through the seriesof evaporators will be of the desired density, and the liquor dischargedinto the receptacle 19 will be of the desired concentration. Thedifference of vacuum between the evaporators is maintained, as hereinshown, by carrying the outlet-pipes for the higer evaporators of theseries below the liquor-feed for the lower evaporators of the series,whereby a liquid seal is formed between the evaporators.

I claim 1. In a multiple-effect transit evaporating apparatus, thecombination, with a series of evaporators arranged on different levelsand connected together to form a liquid seal between the saidevaporators, of an auxiliary chamber connected to the first evaporatorof the series and to the liquid-supply, a regulator to control thesupply of liquid to the said auxiliary chamber, an independent chamberconnected to a lower evaporator of the series, a pump connected to thesaid independent chamber and having its outletpipe connected to the saidauxiliary chamber, and a branch pipe provided with a cock orvalve toregulate the degree of concentration, substantially as described.

2. In a multiple-effect transit evaporating apparatus, the combination,with a series of evaporators arranged on different levels and connectedtogether to form a liquid seal between the said evaporators,'of anauxiliary chamber connected to the first evaporator of the series and tothe liquid-supply, an outletpipe for said auxiliary chamber connected tothe liquid-feed pipes of the first evaporator of the series, a cock orvalve in said outlet-pipe to control the amount of liquor supplied tothe evaporators, a regulator to control the supply of liquid to the saidauxiliary chamber, an independent chamber connected to a lowerevaporator of the series, a pump connected to the said independentchamber and having its outlet-pipe connected to to the said auxiliarychamber, and a branch pipe provided with a cook or valve to regulate thedegree of concentration, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS GAUNT.

Witnesses:

J AS. H. CHURCHILL, EMMA J. BURNETT.

